What are the best concerts you have attended thus far?

Been to many concerts? Have a few of them been life changing? Ever been in the front row when the band’s energy was up so high that the hair on your neck and arms stood up straight? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you are reading the right article! We all have our favorite albums, we all have our favorite songs, but a favorite concert is different. You were actually participating in what was going down, and that my friends, can be EPIC at times. Here are a few of my favorite shows, some recent, some not so much…

U2 at the Cow Palace 1987: Wow…great show! Their huge album “The Joshua Tree” was still all over the airwaves and they were starting to settle in for their tenure as “The World’s Biggest Band” and by that point they were definitely one of the best live bands on the arena circuit. I remember the “New Years Day” was really haunting, I was close to the stage by then…towards the end of the show. EPIC.

And so we’re told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes
On New Year’s Day

Grateful Dead – Laguna Seca 1987: Okay, say what you want about the Dead, but these guys deliver an experience…and when they are on their game, it is a great experience and very much like a roller coaster ride that you don’t want to end. I was young and I believe my reality might have been slightly altered but I believe there was a “Let it Grow” and a “The Other One” that got so intense that it actually scared me momentarily!!! I love that schtuff!!! To be fair, it was my first Dead show, so I’d never heard a band work the dynamic so carefully and intentionally. Thank you to London Eric Burke for taking me…the next week at Soquel High School all of our friends noticed how psychedelic we’d become!

What shall we say, shall we call it by a name,
As well to count the angels dancing on a pin.
Water bright as the sky from which it came,
And the name is on the earth that takes it in.
We will not speak but stand inside the rain,
And listen to the thunder shouting I am! I am! I am! I am…

Black Crowes – 2006 Sleep Train Amphitheatre / Fillmore 2010: This show was really cool, Marc Ford wouldn’t be with them much longer after this and I remember it was a really psychedelic show. These guys seemed to give an Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, and Humble Pie show all at once! I really have to applaud The Crowes…they’ve got a Hammond organ, they kept the guitar loud, and they’ve got a singer who BRINGS it! I really loved the “Waiting Guilty” opener…great way to open a show. But the “Thorn in my pride” really sealed it. The Fillmore in 2010 show was great…a little more rock, but nice and thumpy and boogie-ish. They really love playing in that room and it shows. I also love these shows because I got to rock out with my beautiful wife, Cindy…she was adorable at both of these shows. At The Fillmore, her and I looked at each other stunned because during “Midnight Rambler” the floor of the auditorium started bending and bouncing back upward!!!

Wake me when the day breaks
Show me how the sun shines
Tell me about your heartaches
Who could be so unkind?
Do you dream to touch me?
And smile down deep inside
Or could you just kill me?
Hey, it’s hard to make up your mind sometimes.

Stevie Ray Vaughn – Santa Cruz Civic 1988: Okay, this guy was NOT normal!!!! From the second he stepped out on the stage until the last time he handed his Strat off to his roadie…this guy was turned up to 13!!!!! He put out so much energy by the end of the show that I WAS EXHAUSTED!!! An interesting note is that he had already stopped doing all drugs by this point…he was fueled by soul and passion!!!

I really meant I was sorry
For ever causing you pain
You showed your appreciation
By walking out anyway
And that’s a cold shot, baby
Yeah that’s a drag
That’s a cold shot, babe
We’ve let our love go bad

Dwight Yoakam – Cache Creek Casino 2005: If you are into twang, and I am, there is nothing better than a Dwight show! I think he was supporting “Blame the vain” and he had a new band that was hungry and he really fed on that. He put on a perfect show and his voice was the epitome of perfectly intonated hillbilly twang. Again, Cindy was with me, and we just had a blast. The song “Blame the vain” was just brimming with energy.

I blame her mind for the thoughts we share,
Whoa, and I blame her heart for the time we cared.
I blame it all on how we used to be,
Till she’s finally gone, then I’ll just blame me.

Go online and look at the schedules of your local clubs, auditoriums, and arenas! It’s time for all of us to build some new memories!!! As always, I would really love to see your lists and hear about your experiences, I look forward to hearing from you!

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When he’s not enjoying fishing, road testing cables with his band, or fielding musical/instrument cable questions over the phone/e-mail, Michael handles operations and purchasing and is simply loving life. You can also follow Michael on Twitter!